The number of out-of-state students enrolled in the Paul M. Hebert Law Center’s first-year class increased by 6 percent this year. Law Center enrollment has experienced several shifts over the past few years, including an increase in the percentage of out-of-state students and a lower total number of applicants.
This year’s incoming class consisted of 24 percent out-of-state students. This past year, only 18 percent were from outside of Louisiana.
“We think it helps stimulate the intellectual environment by having those students,” said Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, chair of the Faculty Committee for Admissions.
While the percentage of out-of-state students has increased, Pietruszkiewicz said the total number of students applying to the Law Center has decreased by at least 3 percent each year for the past few years. But this trend is not specific to the Law Center, he said. Law schools across the country have experienced a drop in enrollment.
Pietruszkiewicz said enrollment rates have changed but the application system has not.
“Every student that applies to the LSU Law Center goes through the same process,” he said. “We review the entire file for each of the applicants and make a final decision based on a whole list of factors.”
Pietruszkiewicz said that whether the applicant is a resident of Louisiana is taken into consideration in the full-file review.
Several things seem to bring out-of-state students to Louisiana, one being that Louisiana is the only state in the country that uses a civil code, the Napoleonic code.
“The Law Center gives a unique perspective of the two major legal systems used in Louisiana and throughout the world,” Pietruszkiewicz said. He said students interested in the global economy want to learn the civil code, which 60 percent of the world operates with.
Cole Garrett, second-year law student, grew up two hours west of Austin and came to LSU from the University of Texas.
Garrett said he was interested in the school’s dual degree that allows a student to obtain a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law simultaneously.
“That was a big advantage – that you could earn your civil and common law degrees at the same time,” he said.
Second-year law student Chase Tettleton received his undergraduate degree from Trinity University, a small liberal arts school in San Antonio, Texas.
“The biggest thing that interested me was the flexibility that the degree has,” he said. Students said the Law Center’s tuition rates also influenced their decisions.
Tettleton said LSU is a bargain compared to the costs of other public law schools, though he is paying twice the tuition of his in-state classmates.
“LSU is much easier on the pocketbook,” Tettleton said.
Garrett said LSU’s out-of-state tuition rates almost prevented him from leaving Texas. Tuition is $10,722 for Louisiana residents and $19,818 for non-residents.
“I definitely weighed the value of the education over the cost of tuition,” Garrett said.
Second-year student Jennifer Lambert came to LSU from the University of Georgia. She said finances also impacted her decision to attend the LSU law school.
“If you’re going to go out of state, LSU has some of the best out-of-state tuition rates,” Lambert said.
The state itself and the people in it attracted some students to the program.
Allison Lewis, second-year law studen, came to the program from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after a two-year stint with Teach for America in Opelousas. She said she was “compelled” to stay in Louisiana because the people were friendly and she felt a sense of family in Opelousas.
“Staying in Louisiana was my primary goal,” she said.
Lewis said prospective employers in Louisiana would take the school’s reputation into consideration. She said the faculty was helpful in answering questions and always had an open door policy.
“The fit of all these considerations came together, and it all pointed at going to LSU,” Lewis said.
Tettleton said he was interested in how fast Louisiana is growing.
“Louisiana is kind of on an upward slope right now,” he said. Garrett wanted to move to another state.
“I thought it was time to expand my horizons,” he said.
Sarah Weissman, a second-year student from UGA, was influenced by an alumnus of the program.
“I had worked for an LSU law graduate during my ROTC cadet internship,” she said. “Mostly what sold me was his enthusiasm about the program.”
Lambert said the law program seemed inviting because of its recruiting process.
First-year law student Nicholas Martin graduated from UGA and was accepted to law programs at Mercer University, the University of Mississippi and Pennsylvania State University. Martin, whose family originates from Louisiana, said his family, tuition rates and the degrees offered all played a role in bringing him to Baton Rouge.
“I really was impressed with all of the professors and students I met,” he said.
—Contact Emily Holden at [email protected]